Gas burner



June 6, 1961 G. H. BROWN 2,987,118

GAS BURNER Filed March e, 1958 FIG. 3 fm 'l llllllllllllllll l.: llllllllllllllll :l

v INVENTOR: GORDON H. BROWN ATT'YS livering a mixture of combustible 2,987,118 GAS BURNER Gordon H.Y Brown, Watervliet, Mich., assigner -to Whirlpool Corporation, a corporationof Delaware Filed Mar. 6, 195s, ser. No. 719,664 3 Claims. (CI. 158-99) This invention relates to combustion ticular to a fluid fuel burner.

. The principal feature of this invention is kthe provision of a burner having a new and improved means for degas and primary air to means and in parthe burner head.

Another feature is the provision of such a burner provided with an improved blower means for delivering the combustible gas and air mixture to the burner head.

A further feature is that the blower means is arranged further to effect a thorough mixing of the combustible -gas and air prior to its passage to the burner head.

f burner head to regulate-the delivery of the mixed gas and air to the .burnerhead Y Other featuresandadvantages of this invention :will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a diametric vertical section of a burner embodying the invention, with a portion of the blower broken away and with the burner mounted on a portion of a suitable support;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary plan view thereof with portions broken away; and

FIG. 3 is a diametric vertical section of a modified form of burner embodying the invention, mounted on a portion of a suitable support.

In the exemplary embodiment of the invention as disclosed in FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, a fluid fuel burner comprises a burner head 11 carried on a dishshaped body 12 extending under the burner head to define a chamber 13 in which is received a blower means 14 having vanes 31. A uid fuel, such as a combustible gas, and a combustion supporting huid, such as air, are drawn by the suction developed by blower means 14 through an inlet opening 15 in the lower transverse wall 16 of the body 12 to be thoroughly mixed by the blower means and urged upwardly thereby to burner head 11. An enclosure 17 is secured to wall 16 surrounding inlet opening 15 and is provided with an adjustable air opening 18 providing free communication between the interior of enclosure 17 and the surrounding atmosphere. A passage 19 is provided through enclosure 17 for delivery of the combustible gas at or below ambient pressure to the interior of enclosure 17. The bottom of the enclosure is closed by a plate 20 on which is mounted a motor 21. The motor shaft 22 extends through plate 2t) and into chamber 13 wherein blower 14 is connected to the shaft by a suitable screw 23.

Interposed between blower 14 and the underside 24 of the burner head 11 is a ilow regulating means 25 comprising a pair of facially superposed apertured plates 26 and 27. The plates are relatively movable so as to effect a control of the gas and air mixture delivered from atentt() blower 14 by adjustment of the alignment of the'apertures therein.

More specifically, burner head 11 comprises ay disc ot' porous material such as a refractory ceramic. An example of such a burner head is that disclosed in the Bone et al. Patent 1,223,308 issued April'17, 1917. The burner head is peripherally supported on an annular shoulder `28 of body 12 to extend ilush witlrthe top of the body. The ow regulating plates 26 .and 27 are,-in turn, supported on a second shoulder'29 of the body disposed a slight distance below shoulderV 28. Shoulde`r`f29 is supported on an annular support comprising a iire wall 31B which, thus, carries the burnerltl assembly. Shoulder 29 is preferably spaced only a small distance below shoulder 28 so that the flow regulatingv plates yextend immediately subjacent the underside 24 of burner head 11.

'The spacing between shoulder 29 'and bottom wall 16 of the body is made relatively small. VBody`12 is gen- -er`ally peripherally congruent with the periphery of burner head 11 and, thus, the total volume of chamber 13 in which the gas and air are mixed is relatively small.

Blower means 14 preferably comprises a centrifugal type blower in which the suction occurs principally at the mid-portion and the gas and air are discharged under pressure through suitable peripheral vanes v.31. As the interior of body'1'7 communicates with `the atmosphere through air opening 18`the maximum pressure within the body is substantially the ambientpressure. However,

as soon as blower means `14 is` operated a'suction pressure is developed within the body which acts4 to draw lthe combustible 4gas through the gas passage-19 and air through'` air opening 18 upwardly-'through `the interior :ofl the enclosure and into the blower. As thevgasandair are forced outwardly through vanes 31 by the rotating blower the gas and air are thoroughly mixed by the vanes so that the gas and air mixture delivered to the burner head is substantially completely uniform to provide a complete and proper combustion in the burner head.

As alluded to briefly above, ow regulating means 25 comprises a pair of superposed plates 26 and 27. As best seen in FIG. 2 lower plate 26 is provided with a plurality of wedge shaped apertures 32 symmetrically arranged around a mid-portion 33 of the plate to widen radially outwardly therefrom. Upper plate 27 is provided with a similar plurality of apertures 34 extending radially outwardly from the mid-portion 35 thereof. Upper plate 27 is provided with an arm 36 extending radially outwardly through `a suitable slit 37 in body 17 permitting plate 27 to be pivoted relative to plate 26 about a central pivot 38. As shown in FIG. 2, arm 36 is at the mid-portion of its swinging movement and the clockwise half of each aperture 34 overlies the counterclockwise half of each aperture 32 so that one-half the maximum ow through the flow regulating means is permitted. A clockwise movement of arm 36 to a maximum position disposes aperture 34 directly over aperture 32 permitting the maximum iiow therethrough while a counterclockwise movement of arm 36 to a maximum counterclockwise position removes aperture 34 from an overlying relationship with any portion of aperture 32 thereby completely closing the chamber below the burner head. Intermediate positions of plate 27, of course, provide corresponding different degrees of flow through the low regulating means.

In the operation of burner 10, air opening 18 is adjusted to provide a proper ratio of air to gas drawn in by blower 14 to support a 100% theoretically perfect combustion within burner head 11. As the gas supply is maintained at or below ambient pressure, blower 14 maintains the mixture ratio constant. When the ow regulating plate 27 is positioned to prevent ow upwardly to the burner head 11, no gas is drawn through passage means 19 and the centrifugal blower 14 develops no suction pressure under these conditions. When the flow regulating means is adjusted to provide a ow passage throughplates 26 and 27, blower 14 develops a suction pressure within enclosure 16 automatically drawing the proper quantity of gas and air through passage 19 and opening l18 respectively for delivery to the burner head. The high velocity of the blower and mixing action of the vanes cause the gas and air to be thoroughly mixed in chamber 13 prior to the delivery therefrom to the burner 11.

In FIG. 3 is shown a modiiied form of burner 110. Burner 110 is generally similar to burner 10 and the elements of burner 110 which are similar to those of burner are identified by similar numerals 100 higher. In burner 110 no flow regulating means is disposed between the blower 114 and the underside 124 of the burner head 111. Thus a modied body 39 is provided having only one annular shoulder 128. The spacing ofthe transverse bottom 116 of body 39 from the underside 124 of burner head 111 is somewhat less than that in burner 10, further reducing the size of the burner and decreasing the volume of chamber 113 in which the gas and air mixture is disposed. Where a burner operation not requiring a variation in the combustion rate is desired,` burner 110 provides improved functioning.

While I have shown and described certain embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that it is capable of many modifications. the construction and `arrangement may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A uid fuel burner, comprising: a porous body forming a burner head for combustion across substantially the entire transverse extent thereof; means defining a chamber Changes, therefore, in

confronting the underside of the burner head, said burner head extending across substantially the entire transverse extent of the chamber, said means further defining an inlet to the chamber; means for providing fluid fuel to said inlet; means for providing combustion supporting Huid to said inlet; Huid-moving means in said chamber for sucking the fluid fuel and combustion supporting fluid jointly from said inlet and forcing them upwardly toward the burner head; and a generally planar flow regulating means in the chamber above the Huid-moving means and juxtaposed to the underside of the burner head for varying the rate of delivery of mixed fuel and combustion supporting uid from the blower to the burner head.

2. The burner of claim 1 wherein the flow regulating means comprises a shutter valve having a plurality of adjustable size apertures each extending across substantially the entire transverse extent of the burner head outwardly from the center thereof.

3. The burner of claim 1 wherein the ow regulating means comprises a pair of facially superposed plates extending across the chamber and each having a plurality of apertures each extending across substantially the entire transverse extent of the burner head outwardly from the center thereof, and means associated with said plates for adjustably aligning the apertures to vary the flow passage therethrough.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 323,120 Davis July 28, 1885 669,448 Skoog Mar. 5, 1901 1,223,308 Bone et al Apr. 17, 1917 1,256,301 Ellis Feb. l2, 1918 1,950,800 Kerr Mar. 13, 1934 2,005,252 Branche June 18, 1935 2,424,154 Dunham et al. July l5, 1947 

